Port of Earth #10

Port of Earth continues with the alien Consortium leaning on the ESA to find the aliens responsible for the outbreak of a deadly disease, however not everything is as it seems.  Zack Kaplan’s tale of alien colonization continues!

Set to release May 15, we’ve got a Galactic Passport for an early look!

The Cover

The cover features the Port superimposed over the masked face of a vaguely humanoid creature.  The face is wholly obscured by a mask or breathing apparatus, playing on the themes of disease and quarantine in this issue.  The Port itself is lit up by a lightning strike in the middle of a storm, and looks both alien and beautiful.

The Art

Andrea Mutti’s style is perfectly suited for this book.  Something about his style just seems perfectly suited to draw the various species of alien that appear.  None of whom appear similar.  The universe is enormous, and he does a great job showing the diversity that can exist in an endless cosmos.  Jordan Boyd’s colour work just enhances everything.  It’s not bright and clean, but appears more life-like and natural on the aliens.

I quite enjoy the differences between the primary narrative of the story and the interview with the Consortium representative.  The main story is dirty, messy and chaotic, whereas the interview with the Consortium rep is controlled and peaceful, albeit with threatening undertones in regards to the imagery it is interspersed with and with the body language of the rep.

The Story

I am continually impressed with how Zack Kaplan appears to take every negative thing that has been associated with colonization events in human history and gives subtle nods to, or outright includes them.  I feel that this alone sets Port of Earth apart from other alien invasion type stories.

This issue builds on the last, with a deadly alien virus on the loose and humanity struggling to contain it.  The consortium offers an ultimatum: find the aliens at the source of the outbreak, or they will step in to contain it.  Of course, it’s never as simple as that, as the resistance has made a truly horrifying discovery about the Port itself.

This series continues to be one of the best sci-fi books out there.  It’s got a slow-burn of a pace, but each issue has continued to reveal a little more about the Port that will keep you coming back!